Coop or crate.



0. J. LA BAUVE.

GOOI 0R CRATE.

APPLICATION PILBD JAN.17.1908.

Patented May 3, 1910.

.2720622 for 06?@2076 (ZZa/.Zawye ODELON J'. LA IBAUVE, OF IEDNA, TEXAS.

COOP 0R CRATE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led January 17, 1908.

Patented May 3, 1910.

serial No. 411,309.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ODELON J. LA BAUVE,

.a citizen of the United States, residing at Edna, in the county of Jackson and State of Texas, have invented new and useful Improvements in Coops or Crates, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to collapsible coo s or crates of that type wherein the ends fo d inwardly against the sides and the sides and ends are unitedly foldable inwardly against the bottom.

The primary object of the invention is to simplify the construction of coops or crates of this class and render them strong and durable as well as convenient in operation and to provide the same with a removable cover which ma be conveniently secured against the infolded ends and sides for transportation or storage.

The parts yof the coop or crate may be readily set up in operative position and effectively serve as a containing means for poultry and other live stock.

The invention consists in the construction and arrangement of the several parts which p will be more fully hereinafter specified.

In the drawing: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a crate orcoop embodying the features of the invention. Fifr. 2 is a horizontal section of a portion ofP the crate or coop showing one of the parts folded, in dotted lines. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a ortion of the coop or crate. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of one of the supporting brackets.

Similar characters of reference are employed to indicate corresponding parts in lthe several views.

The numeral 1 designates a bottom or base, preferably made of wood, and having supporting sills 2 secured along the opposite side edges. Firmly attached to the bottom and sills adjacent to the corners of the said bottom, are supporting brackets 3 and 4, the brackets 4 slightly differing in structure from the brackets 3. The brackets 3 and 4 respectively have outer upstanding angular members 5 and 6 each formed with an opening 7. The members 6 of the brackets 4 have upper' stop shoulders 8, one on each, the said shoulders being located outwardly beyond the vertical centers of the members, as clearly shown by Fig. 4.

The brackets 3 and 4 form parts of corner hinge organizations of the sides 9 and ends 10, the two forms of brackets ex lained being used to facilitate folding of t e ends 10 inwardly against the sides 9, as will be presently set forth. The frames 11 and 12 of the sides 9 and ends 10 are formed of material having an angular contour in crosssection, the horlzontal flanges of these frames all projecting inwardly and the frames 12 of the ends 10 being of slightly smaller dimensions with respect to the frames `1l so that the free ends of the said frames 12 will move into the ends of the frames 11 as shown by Figs. 1 and 2 when the parts of the coop or crate are erected in operative position.

Vhen the coop or crate is set up as shown by Fig. 1, the free extremities of the ends 10 snugly fit within the ad'acent ends of the respective sides 9, said ee extremities of the ends 10 being frictionally held within the ends of the sides with which they engage.

The frames 11 and 12 have wire screen coverings 13 of suitable mesh secured thereto and it will be understood that any form of screen covering may be employed for this purpose.

To one end of each frame 10 at the upper and lower corners, angle brackets 14 are secured and have curved extensions 15 projecting from the angular portions thereof. The upper extensions 15 are pivotally secured to straight extensions 16 of angle brackets 17 rigidly fixed on the upper corners of the adjacent ends of the sides 9. On the lower corners of the ends of the sides 9 carrying the brackets 17, angle brackets 18 are firmly secured and have extensions 19 to which the extensions 15 of the lower angle brackets 14 are pivotally connected.

The extensions 19 are each formed with an outward downward bend 20 and terminate in pintles 21 which project thereunder and are inserted through the openings 7 of the members 5 of the supporting brackets 3, this particular construction and arrangement being adopted to permit the lower pivoted corner portions of the ends 10 to have unrestricted movement when infolded against the sides 9, or drawn outwardly to properly position the ends in arranging the parts of the crate for service, and at the same time provide simple and effective means for pivoting or hinging the adjacent lower corners of the sides 9. By the use of the extensions 15, 16 and 19 of the brackets 14, 17 and 18 respectively, a clearance is given to the ends 10 with respect to the sides 9 when folding said ends and likewise in unfolding the latter, and furthermore the frames of the sides and ends are rendered stronger and more durable Vby the use of these brackets with the extensions by reason of the fact that the stress or strain on the corners of the sides and ends is reduced to a minimum because the frames of the said sides and ends are not directly attached, one to the other. The ends of the sides 9 adjacent to the supporting brackets 4 are also provided with integral depending extensions 23 which are pivotally connected against the outer sides of the members 6 by rivets or analogous fastenings 24, the lower portions of the frames of the sides adjacent to the supporting brackets 4 bearing against the shoulders 8 when the sides are raised in operative position to prevent outward movement of the sides beyond .a perpendicular plane.

A removable cover 25 is used with the coop or crate and comprises end bars 26 and 27 connected by tie bars 28, the cover between the said end bars and tie bars having a wire screen 29 attached thereto and provided with a central opening 30 normally closed by a gate 3l. The end bars 26 have shouldered extremities 32 and 33 which bear against the upper horizontal flanges of the frames of the sides and ends, the ends 34 of the said bars 26 projecting over the said upper flanges of the sides and the ends 35 loosely extending across or over the upper portion of the frame of the opposite side. A hasp plate or device 36 is secured to the center of the one tie bar 28 and formed with a slot 37 in its free extremity to engage the staple 39 projecting upwardly from the top portion of the adjacent side frame.

Suitable means may be inserted through the staple 39 to hold the hasp plate or device 36 1n locked relation to the adjacent side and thus secure the cover against accidental displacement. The opposite extremities 34 of the bars 26 are temporarily secured, pref-` erably by means of bolts or analogous devices 4() inserted therethrough and through the top portion of the frame of the adjacent side, t-he said bolts or analogous devices 40 being removable to permit the cover 25 to be completely detached and secured against the folded sides and ends when the crate or coop is collapsed.

In folding the coop or crate, the cover 25 is detached and removed, and the ends 10 are iirs't moved inwardly against the sides 9, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2, and the sides and ends are then unitedly folded downwardly against the bottom l, the cover being placed over the infolded sides and ends and suitably secured thereto. In setting up the coop or crate the cover is rst removed, the sides elevated and the ends moved outwardly and their free extremities caused to bear against the terminals of the adjacent sides and within the said side terminals, as shown by Figs. l and V2.

The foregoing description will, itis believed, give a full understanding of the operation of the crate or coop and it will be seen that the several parts may be reduced to compact form with obvious advantages in reshipment and storage, and furthermore, the sides, ends and cover may be readily arranged to hold poultry and other live stock confined within the crate.

It will also be noted that the coop or crate embodying the features of the invention has the parts thereof so assembled that the manipulation of very few fastenings is required to either place the crate in operative position or collapse the same.

Changes in the proportions, dimensions and details of construction may be adopted without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus fully .described the invention, what is claimed as new, is:

l. A coop or crate comprising a bottom having supporting brackets secured thereon near the corners and provided with upwardly projecting angular members, a part of the brackets having stop shoulders, sides and ends, angle brackets secured to the upper and lower corners of the sides and ends and having extensions pivotally connected, a part of the angle brackets at the lower corners of the sides terminating in pintles extending thereunder and movably engaging the adjacent supporting brackets, the sides also having depending extensions at their corners pivotally connected to the supporting brackets provided with the shoulders, and a removable cover.

2. A coop or crate comprising a bottom, supporting brackets secured on the bottom adjacent to the corners, sides and ends, the sides and ends having upper and lower angle brackets. provided with extensions pivotally connected, the lower angle bracket. at one end of each of the sides being formed with a pintle to engage the adjacent supporting bracket, the ends being foldable inwardly against the sides and terminally engageable within the extremities of the sides opposed to those to which they are pivoted, the sides also being pivotally connected at their lower corners opposite to the corners to which the ends are attached to other supporting brackets and a removable cover.

3. A coop or crate comprising a bottom, infolding sides movably secured on the bottom, ends having one extremity of each pivotally connected to portions of the sides and foldable inwardly against the latter, the connected portions of the ends being at a dis# tance from the adjacent ends of the sides,

the free extremities of the ends being freely In testimony whereof I have hereunto set movable into adjacent extremities of the my hand in presence of two subscribing 10 sides and frictionaly held in the latteiwhen witnesses.

t e coop is erecte in o erative con ition,

the said free extremitiespof the ends being ODELON J LA BAUVE also readily Withdrawable from the adjacent Witnesses:

extremities of the sides to fold the coop o1' F. G. MOFFETT,

crate. and a removable cover. W. W. MCCRARY. 

